alyssa at thirteen

alyssa celebrated her 13th birthday on sunday. i say this every single year. but i have no idea how another year has passed. lol! 

i still picture her as my little girl. walking around the house all dramatic, waving her hands around as she talked and pointing to things that no one but her ever saw. with her "cinderella" dress on almost every day, along with a matching headband. clickity clacking through the house with her dress up shoes. a little high pitched voice, talking our ears off about everything and about nothing at the same time. making up the craziest words ever, but using them in a way that made you believe they were real words all along. like "ackachie", which we still use to this day (meaning "tush"). being my perfect little model, and striking a pose whenever i pulled out my camera. which usually involved laying on the ground, and propping up her chin on both hands. wanting to be a doctor, and loving watching ER (even at just 3 yrs old). loving on her dolls and being a good mommy to them, and then later loving on her baby sister and being a great big sister to her. wait. did i mention the never ending chatter that came out of my little girls mouth? you'd never know a girl could find that much to talk about.

and here she is, a teenager. thirteen years old. still my little girl in some ways. such a petite thing, she is. but like i tell her, big things come in small packages. and she's a good kid! sure, we have our moments. she's a sassy thing, and can whip off sarcastic remarks like nobody's business. there are several times a day that i want to give her a little whack upside her head. lol! and you should see this girl roll her eyes. she has an amazing eye-rolling talent, which is usually aimed at me. but she's also super funny, and always laughing about something. she's incredibly smart, and so responsible about her homework and staying on track with what she needs to do. she is awesome with kids, and loves to work with them. she is just a very sweet, caring girl. we're so proud of her and all that she's becoming.

and here are some fun facts about alyssa, at thirteen. i asked her to answer all these for me tonight, and here are her answers.

favorite foods - chinese food, stroganoff, stir fry
favorite snacks - goldfish, skittles, grapes
favorite drinks - dr pepper, sunny delight, gatorade
favorite restaurants - rose garden (chinese), chili's, golden corral
favorite fast food - panda express, in-n-out, taco bell
favorite tv shows - icarly, wizards of waverly place, full house
favorite movies - fame, remember the titans, bandslam
favorite actors - selena gomez, taylor lautner,
favorite singers - selena gomez, demi lovato, taylor swift
favorite songs - let it rock (kevin rudolf), falling down (selena gomez), you belong to me (taylor swift) 
favorite sports - soccer, soccer, soccer
favorite school subjects - math, science, band
favorite books - breaking dawn, red velvet, esperanza rising
favorite cartoons - phineas & ferb, scooby doo, mickey mouse clubhouse
favorite colors - blue, black, anything neon
favorite websites - gamepost, cartoon doll emporium, girls go games
favorite Wii games - rock band, mario cart, mario party 8
favorite animals - monkeys, penguins, dolphins
best friends - cassie, kassidy, idalis, tora
things i like to do - play soccer, read, chill out

happy birthday alyssa!!! we love you! 

Comments

[susan d.]

happy birthday to alyssa! that's a big one!!

[Cheryl]

They grow up so fast don't they? And I love the eye-rolling sassy-ness, my nearly 13 y.o. granddaughter is an expert too.

Love, love your questions ... I'm going to ask Natasha them too.

Happy Birthday Alyissa!

[littlethingiesofme.blogspot.com]

Happy birthday Alyissa,wishing you happy days!!

[Chris R]

what a wonderful girl!! i love your post about her. the way that you take one of the birtday photos of the hands showing how old they are is awesome. i am going to lift that idea with my grandkids. i may even use it myself this year i think i can do a 5 and a 0, might as well have fun turning 50 right? thanks so much for the inspiration!!

[Deneen]

Happy Birthday to the little teenager in the house! Love you Alyssa and hope your day was just perfect.

[Lisa Howard]

Happy, happy birthday, Alyssa!!!

[Leslie]

of so adorable ~ yes I know she's a tween now but she is just so cute!! love the Q&A you did with her - that will be fun to look back on and read in a few years!

[Sandi N.]

Laura

Share my birthday well wishes with Alyssa. She is a lovely young lady. I hope she finds joy and love where ever she goes.

Sandi N.

[Karina]

Laura, I just love your post about Alyssa!!! Happy Birthday again!!!

Karina

[Lisa]

HAPPY BDAY ALYSSA!!! Wow, 13!!!

Laura, love this post and how you included all her favorites --

[Shaun Paddock]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS TEENAGER FROM SOUTH CAROLINA!!!

[Dani]

Happy birthday, Alyssa!!!

[Carla]

Awe Laura...that was so sweet that I almost had tears in my eyes. Alyssa is sure is a good kid and I know you're a proud mom!! You did good! I love the list...that is fun. I should do a list like that for my kiddies. And I love the pics, they're so pretty!

[Sara Rossi]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALYSSA!!! I LOVE the last pic of her with the flowers in the background matching her PURPLE top!! Great interview too! Perfect journaling for a LO!! ;) You have every reason to be proud of her!! BTW--you almost perfectly described Marissa--especially the chatterbox!! LOL!!

[Sonia]

Hi Laura
Beautiful girl. I just love your post about Alyssa.. Happy Birthday!!!

**Sony**

[danni p]

happy birthday alyssa!!
great shots mom.
~danni

[Sasha Farina]

Happy Belated Birthday Alyssa!! *hugs*

[Krista]

love the list of favorites...great idea :)